Amethyst is a type of purple quartz. The purple color arises due to a complicated chemical process involving the interaction of gamma radiation with small specks of iron within the quartz crystal. Because people find the purple amethyst crystals to be beautiful, and because they are relatively plentiful, amethysts have been used in jewelry by many different human societies over the centuries.

The origin of the word “amethyst” is the ancient Greek word “amethystos” which means “not intoxicated.” As you can probably guess, the ancient Greeks believed that the amethyst crystal had the power to protect its user from becoming unduly intoxicated while drinking wine. To that end, the ancient Greeks often crafted wine goblets from amethyst.

Occult beliefs concerning the power of the amethyst stone do not end with the ancient Greeks. There are multiple references to amethyst in the Christian Bible, and the stone is known to be highly favored by members of the Catholic clergy. Today, many aficionados of the New Age movement favor amethyst. They ascribe to it various healing properties. It is also known as being the birthstone of people born in the month of February, and is associated with the astrological signs Aquarius and Pisces.

Due to its relative prevalence, amethyst is known as a “”semi-precious”” stone. Amethyst mining takes place in many different countries including the United States. Although the biggest single amethyst vein is found in Australia, substantial amounts of amethyst can be found in South Korea, Brazil, Zambia and other countries.

About the Author:Julia Lawrence thoroughly enjoys spending time researching and writing about diamonds, jewelry and pop culture! When she isn't hard at work writing blog posts for The Diamond Lining, she spends her time wither with an absolutely adorable Mini Golder Retriever: Jake, and her husband: Mr. Julia Lawrence.
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